Protection of the space environment: the first small steps Original Research Article

The development of the space environment – for industry, commerce and tourism – is a natural extension of our current business and domestic agenda. Unfortunately, this brings with it the ability to pollute, degrade and even destroy aspects of the space environment. This paper briefly reviews the evidence of mankindʹs pollution of the space environment in the first 45 years of the Space Age, and extrapolates the potential for further degradation into its second half-century. It also makes recommendations concerning the first steps towards a solution to the problem, including the formation of an international consultative body and consideration of a `set of guidelinesʹ or `code of practiceʹ as a precursor to more formal policies or legislation.